In 24 Job’s response to Eliphaz’s accusations in Chapter 22 continued.

In 23:17 Job, believing himself righteous, wondered why God did not allow him to die before the evil came upon him. In 24:1 Job wondered since the Almighty knows the times things will happen (omniscient), why a man who knows God, like himself, is not allowed to know the number of his days or when he is going to die. . Could be asking the same thing he wondered in Ch 3:20-23.

·       The answer is seen in Acts 1:7 with Ecc 3:1, 17; Ecc 8:6-8. God is in control of the times come upon to His people.

24:2-11, 13-17, 21 In these Job states there some that do what Eliphaz accused Job of doing in Ch 22:6-7, 9.

24:12 Job states that even though those wronged by the actions of  wicked men cry out in their distress, it seems God does nothing to penalize the actions of the wicked and cause them to stumble.

Before Job asked why the wicked prosper, now he seems to wonder why the wicked prosper at the expense of the poor.

24:18-22 Job the wicked may prosper now, but only while they are alive on the earth,

·       V18a The wicked are as swift waters: never still always seeking other placed to overflow with and destroy with their wickedness (V16 seeking houses in the day to rob at night.)

·       V18b Job 4:8, Prov 22:8, Gal 6:7 with Gen 3:17-19 The portion will be as seeds that do not spout and rot in the earth, never as a healthy vineyards (Vineyards often a sign of God’s love and blessing upon His people and land.) Adams sowed the seed of sin and reaped the curse of the earth.

·       V19 they will be consumed in the grave as drought and heat consume water. In 6:15-16 Job likened his friends dried up brooks that should have offered refreshing water to travelers.    

·       V20 after his body is consumed in the grave the wicked will be forgotten.

Vs 23-24 Job stated the wicked may seem to be safe and exalted for a while but they will all brought low and cut off as the top of a ears of corn because it has no kernels and is dead.

·       Gen 4:12 Cain was forced to be a vagabond. He would till and plant but ground would never yield a crop that Cain could benefit from. That is the way of the wicked; they could amass wealth through their wickedness but they die without any eternal benefit.

V25 Job knew it is God’s providence that he allows wicked men to prosper even if righteous men suffer before they die. Remember wicked men prospered at Job expense in chapter one.

·       Job’s friends believed Job was a wicked man suffering because of his wickedness. Job felt he was a righteous man suffering because God turned over to the ungodly and put him in the hand of the wicked.

·       In Ch 23 Job seemed to believe, unlike the wicked, he was righteous enough to dispute with God.

·       Job challenged them to prove him wrong. Prove him wrong about the wicked and prove his challenge to their accusations were also wrong.

In chapter 25 Bildad made a lame attempt to prove Job wrong. In V25:2 Bildad agreed that God has absolute sovereign power over everyone and everything. Bibdad is correct that no man can stand justified before God on his own. Bildad was correct in denying that Job in his self-righteousness was righteous enough to dispute with the Almighty. 

·       This is the response by theses three men that does not contain a false statement about Job because what Bildad is true about every man.

·       The problem was Bildad had no intention of comforting Job with his words only to

Chapters 26 -31 is Job’s longest response to their shortest speech.

In V26:1-4 It seems to me that Job asked Bibdad if he had ever helped anyone? Have you ever been right in what you declared? Have you ever

·       Job takes what Bildad said personally. He knew Bibdad was placed him in the category of worm. Job had begun to declare his righteousness.